How The Past Survived

 I slowly park in front of my inherited mansion, vaguely looking out of my tinted car window towards the fabulous three story building, taken aback at how different my childhood home looked. Although it had been more than 7 years since I had last been in this town I was overwhelmed by the emotion that filled me as all the memories of my family came flooding back. Although I had been without a mother since I was five I only lost my father at the hands of another human being.

It seemed that since I was 11 I have been completely alone, separated from my Nan, and older sister and my father, completly alone in the world. I blinked the tears away, as I quickly stepped out of my car and onto the gravel, ready to go inside.

                                                                                       *

Although the work men had started re decorating my inherited house more than a month ago they still had loads of work to do. This house was massive and having the whole place redecorated - other than a few treasured rooms - would cost a lot, and it would certainly take a long time to get done.

I had moved into this house a few weeks ago, and I had everything already sorted out for me. Life started looking up once I gained acsess to my trust fund. My father had blocked me from the money untill I turned 21. He had arranged this before his abduction.  It's funny how things only started looking up in my life when I got my money. All those fake friends running around after me, well I wasn’t going to fall for that one again! My life is already complicated enough… I don't need a bunch of gold diggers to pretend to like me for me to realize that. As I looked around the living room filled with workers, I knew that my life was slowly coming together. I smiled walking up the stairs towards the kitchen.

*

 I parked my car in the Tesco car park after spending quarter of an hour searching for a space. This was the third time now...maybe I should get a cab next time. I thought rushing in through the doors with my trolley. It was nearly six thirty in the evening, even though I had left my house at five to six. I still haven’t had dinner and I felt like I was going to faint, regretting resisting the temptation of McDonalds on my way here I scanned the noodles section listing all the things I needed in my head.

- Pizza & Chips

- Sliced Bread & Croissants

- Eggs & Carrots

- Noodles & Gapes

- Biscuits & Sugar

- Ice Cream & Coffee

- Nuts & Nutella

- Febrezze & Washing Liquid

I knew there was about a dozen more things that I needed but my brain wouldn’t cooperate, so I gave up and searched for the essentials I needed and the rest of the stuff in my head.

Should I get Rich Tea Biscuits or Digestives? Crunchy Nut or Krave? Warburton 50/50 or-

'Wait...Scarlett? Is that you?' A curious masculine boy was staring at me, shock all over his face. I looked at him curiously... His face, eyes, smile was familiar, and instantly I knew who he was. Without a word I jumped at him hugging him in a tight embrace, knowing exactly who he was.

'Oh Nate! It’s been soo long!'

*Flashback* *10 years ago*

'Look Sandy, over there. It's that boy again, he's looking at me from his window.' I said, pointing at the unusual boy over by the window grinning at me.

 

'Hmm, maybe he likes you... after all who can ignore your beauty?' She laughs twirling around with the wind, as the sky slowly got darker around us. Her brown hair shining in the moonlight while she twirled around as I continued to look at - Nate, who I didn’t know him at the time - curiously.

 

'Ha-ha very funny.' I said rising my eyebrows at her, my eyes never leaving the window. The mysterious boy was about my age, small and short, with unusual green eyes to go with his chocolate brown skin. I had never seen him before, but one day that empty house across the road was no-longer empty, and there lived a boy - Nate - and his mother. I continued to look at him, although shyness over took me as his smile grew, and I turned away blushing.

 

It was a warm August evening, and I had spent all of my afternoon playing with my older sister - Sandra - around the garden. It was starting to get dark out, and although our dad, and Nan had called us inside many times we remained out; playing, dancing, acting like silly little girls and giggling each time we hid from the adults who called us inside.

 

'LaLaLaLaLaLa, I'm a table top. Dancing all around me, because you're a table top. It takes time to stop me...because there's room for three, lalalalalala, we're all table tops!' Squealed my sister thinking that her made up song would be played on the radio soon when she became a star. I gave her a pointed look, while stiffing a giggle at how badly she could sing. My 13 year old sister was incredibly immature compared to me - a quiet 11 year old who spent all her time painting, rarely getting into trouble, unlike my hyper sister.

 

I shook my head, and was about to grab her arm so we could go inside, all of a sudden cold from the wind, but before I could do so we heard shouting, and yelps both of us turning to see what was going on in our house, frozen by the sight before us through the living room glass. I opened my mouth to scream but no sound came out as tears dropped from my unblinking eyes.

 

Sandra's small hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me towards the bushes in our garden, her sobs muffled by her hand covering her face. My mouth opened again as a man held a gun to Nan's head, this time letting out a blood curdling scream my eyes widened in shock as an attacker looked towards the garden. My sister quicktinkingly pushed me under sticks and bushes just as a man with a gun came out and grabbed her, dragging my screaming sister away from me. Crying silently I held in the sobs and watched these ruthless men take my family away.

 

I stayed under the bushes for a few moments sobs still escaping me as my brain tried take in what just happened. I don't know how long I stayed there... wheather it was a few seconds, a few minutes, or hours. I stayed curled up in a ball staring straight at the window opposit my house. There he stood wide - eyed like a statue full of fear for me while his mother came rushing behind him with a phone in her hand.